Protective accessory for ankle or leg

ABSTRACT

A protective accessory for ankle or leg, wearable with a footwear, the accessory comprising a resilient fabric band incorporated with an elastic material adapted to fit closely over a portion of a leg of a wearer. The fabric band form a protective layer between a cuff portion of the footwear and skin of the wearer, thereby protecting the skin region beneath the cuff portion from chafing or irritation due to friction of the skin with cuff portion of footwear.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to wearable accessories for protecting skin, and more specifically relates to a protective accessory for ankle or leg, wherein the accessory constitutes a protective fabric layer between a rim or cuff portion of a footwear and skin region immediately beneath the cuff portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Boots and other related footwear generally consist of cuff or rim portions that extend significantly above and over a wearer's ankle during use. Boot is a type of shoe that covers at least the foot and the ankle and sometimes extends up to the knee or even the hip. For example, Traditional cowboy boots lack laces or other fasteners, relying instead on a tall cuff that extends closely around a wearer's lower leg or calf. Traditional boots are made of leather or rubber and modern boots are made from a variety of materials.

These types of footwear have blunt upper edges at the rim that tend to chafe or rub against the wearer's calf or ankle, causing discomfort and irritation of skin. The above discussed footwear are typically not custom-made to fit each specific user and may also have contours that are not precisely compatible with the shape of a wearer's foot or leg. Hardness of the cuff material, differences in shape and a lack of adjustable fasteners to accommodate such differences may cause friction between the cuff portion of the foot wear and skin region beneath the cuff portion especially at ankle, calf and lower leg regions of the wearer.

In some cases, boot type footwear create a significant amount of friction or chaffing while rubbing on the ankle region of the wearer which may lead to significant discomfort, blistering, and/or pain. Some type of boots develop indentation points, wrinkles, or folds in the cuff section covering the ankle region that can also cause irritation. These indentation points often directly touch and irritate the user's ankle by repeatedly pressing and/or rubbing against the same area while walking. Such discomfort and irritation may produce blistering of skin and also discourage the wearer from wearing those types of footwear.

Existing wearable accessories for legs such as boot cuffs, boot toppers, were designed and used for only decorative purposes. Since these accessories are wearable on top of the footwear for aesthetic appeal, the problem caused by irritation or chafing of skin due to friction with the cuff region of the footwear remains unsolved.

Therefore, there still a need exists in the art, for a protective accessory for ankle or leg, to prevent the skin from chafing or irritation, the accessory is wearable with footwear for protecting the skin region especially around the ankle or leg.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a protective accessory for ankle or leg. The accessory wearable with a footwear, and comprises a resilient fabric band incorporated with an elastic material adapted to fit closely over a portion of a leg of a wearer. The fabric band form a protective layer between a cuff portion of the footwear and skin of the wearer, thereby protecting the skin region beneath the cuff portion from chafing, or irritation due to friction of the skin with cuff portion of footwear.

In an embodiment, the protective accessory can be worn with boot and related types of footwear, the accessory or ankle/leg protector comprises a lace fabric band with decorative patterns to provide aesthetic appeal, besides protection of skin in contact with the footwear. The elastic material is incorporated within at least one rim portion of the resilient fabric band.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the protective accessory for ankle or leg, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B shows perspective views of the protective accessory being worn beneath a footwear.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description of the preferred embodiments presents a description of certain specific embodiments to assist in understanding the claims. However, the present invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

Referring to FIG. 1, which illustrates a perspective view of the protective accessory for ankle or leg, wearable with a footwear, the accessory 100 comprises a resilient fabric band 110 incorporated with an elastic material adapted to fit closely over a portion of a leg of a wearer. The resilient fabric band 110 snugly fits around different areas of lower leg of the wearer, especially around ankle and calf regions. The primary function of the accessory 100 is to form a protective layer between a cuff portion of the footwear and skin of the wearer, thereby protecting the skin region in contact with the cuff portion from chafing, or irritation or blistering due to friction of the skin with cuff portion of footwear.

In an embodiment, the resilient fabric band 110 comprises a tubular shape adapted for fitting over the leg of the wearer, especially at ankle, calf or lower calf regions of the leg. The tubular band comprises an upper rim and a lower rim, with an elastic material incorporated at the upper rim of the fabric band.

In another embodiment, the protective accessory further comprises a decorative portion 120 comprising patterns, designs and fashion accessories like bow, lace, flower designs and their combinations for rendering an aesthetic appeal to the protective accessory, especially when worn together with boot and related footwear. In an exemplary embodiment, the accessory may comprise a resilient fabric band made of cotton material incorporated with an elastomer and further consists a decorative portion comprising a lace fabric.

FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of the protective accessory worn beneath a footwear. In an embodiment, the protective accessory comprising resilient fabric band 110 is worn around lower leg such that it is beneath a cuff portion of the footwear. In another embodiment, the cuff portion can be placed above the fabric band 110 in such a way, so that the decorative portion 120 covers a substantial portion of the cuff of the footwear.

In an embodiment, the protective accessory for skin protection especially around ankle or legs may comprise an expandable fabric 110 wearable beneath a footwear. The expandable fabric 110 is configured to cover a substantial portion of the leg including ankle region, as shown in FIG. 2B.

The protective accessory for ankle/leg, comprises accessories wearable with boots and related footwear, including but not limited to boot cuff, boot topper, boot sock, faux sock, boot liner and the like. The protective accessory can be made from variety of fabric materials including but not limited to cotton, wool, rayon, spandex, linen, knitted fabric, lace fabric and crotchet stitched fabric of different colors and designs.

The resilient fabric band comprises an elastomeric or stretchable material, that doesn't wear off or fall from its intended position even when used frequently and for a longtime by the wearer. The protective accessory which comprises resilient fabric band eliminates the need to use lotions, creams or plasters on the skin region to prevent from irritation due to friction with the cuff portion of footwear especially boots.

The protective accessory or ankle/leg protector of the present invention acts as a protective layer between the skin and foot wear cuff portion especially during walking or striding. The protective layer formed by the accessory thus prevents or substantially minimizes irritation, chafing, blistering and bleeding of the skin region due to constant rubbing of cuff portion against the skin of the wearer.

The present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications to the described embodiment can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims. 

1. A protective accessory for ankle or leg, wearable with a foot wear, the accessory comprising: a resilient fabric band comprising an elastic material adapted to fit closely over a portion of a leg of a wearer, wherein the fabric band form a protective layer between a cuff portion of the footwear and skin of the wearer.
 2. The protective accessory of claim 1, wherein the footwear comprises a boot.
 3. The protective accessory of claim 1, wherein the fabric band comprises a cotton material.
 4. The protective accessory of claim 1, wherein the elastic material is present at an upper rim of the fabric band.
 5. The protective accessory of claim 1, wherein the fabric band substantially minimizes friction between the skin and the cuff portion of the footwear.
 6. The protective accessory of claim 1, wherein the fabric band substantially minimizes chafing of the skin area beneath the cuff portion.
 7. The protective accessory of claim 1, comprises boot cuff, boot sock, boot topper and faux sock.
 8. The protective accessory of claim 1, wherein the fabric band comprises a lace material.
 9. The protective accessory of claim 1, wherein the fabric band comprises a decorative pattern. 